Written by Chynna Clugston and Ian Shaughnessy
Art by Chynna Clugston
32 pages, black and white
Published by Oni Press

Over time I’ve learned that with a new Chynna Clugston comic, there are three things I should prepare for: memorable characters, slick art, and the unexpected. With her new book Strangetown (with co-writer Ian Shaughnessy), it’s nice to see that all my expectations were met—including that one about the unexpected.

Patrick Atangan’s comics debut, The Yellow Jar, was a beautiful retelling of ancient Japanese folk tales using the ukiyo-e art style of Japan. With his latest graphic novel, Tree of Love, Atangan’s tackling the Rajput Polyptich art of India and the end result is just as visually stunning.

Saying that there are a lot of zombies in all forms of media lately is a bit of an understatement. Comics, television, movies, books… you name it, there’s an undead creature begging to eat your brains. With that in mind, I really have to give Sophie Campbell’s The Abandoned a lot of credit; it’s the only one I’ve encountered in the last year or so that over a month later is still creeping me out.